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From 16th February until March 24th 2012 Mayfair’s Shizaru gallery will display a solo exhibition of London based creative polymath Walter Hugo, whose innovative piece PAX6 is currently displayed in SHOWstudio Shop as part of our ‘In Your Face’ exhibition.

Fighting against the momentum of disposable, easily manipulated photography, Hugo’s work probes the permanence and veracity of a captured image.

Consisting of twenty life sized glass plate portraits Hugo’s most recent series ‘Theories’ captures untouched the naked forms of “perfect beauty”. Using models who adhere to modern ideals of perfection, Hugo’s purpose built room sized camera reverts to the earliest aim of photography as a tool for documentation. This detailed and unabashed recording of the human form highlights the stark contrast to the airbrushed images which have become the norm. Hugo continues to rely on his invention in “Developing Shadows” which develops images directly onto the walls of his former East End studio. Joining photography and painting, silver nitrate emulsion and various chemicals produce a tribute to the artistic force of East London in these intimate frescoes of an idealized photographers world.

Partially exhibited will be his magnum opus ‘Reflecting The Bright Lights’, 50 of the moments creative luminaries through the eyes of the photographer. These images began as a project for SHOWstudio Shop’s “Practice to Deceive: Smoke & Mirrors in Fashion, Fine Art and Film” exhibition, the process film of this anthology can be found here. Designers, actors, musicians, astronauts and politicians stand before Hugo’s 18th century lens to create these astonishing ambrotypes. Each piece of glass standing as a unique monument to the sitter.